Change Your Focus to Change Your Negative Feelings

Stress and anxiety have a way of distracting us from the reality in front of us. We can become so focused on our own problems that we fail to recognize the beauty and gifts that life delivers. You can ease your anxiety and make the world a better place by spending more time thinking about others and less time thinking about your own problems.

Thoughts Influence Feelings

This method of emotional healing charges us to recognize that our thoughts, rather than events or people in our lives, make us feel stress, anxiety and a host of other negative feelings. It also helps us to recognize that thoughts focused on our negative feelings are not productive.

Use the Right Problem Solving Method

It is normal to try to solve problems by thinking about them repeatedly. This is how humans have managed to create so many amazing inventions. However, emotional problems are not the same as mathematical or mechanical difficulties. Emotional problems can only be worked out through time and patience. We must recognize that we are often using the wrong problem solving method to deal with our emotions.

Change Your Focus

By recognizing your negative, self-centered thoughts and intentionally turning to thoughts of friends of family in your life, you take the focus away from your pain. Only time can heal your hurt and frustration, so lingering on these negative emotions will not help them go away any faster.

Reach Out to Others

Each time you have a negative thought like, "I'll never get out of debt," turn your thinking to someone else in your life. Focus on this person and think about what it is you like about him or her. This will immediately help you to feel better, because you will feel love and affection instead of anxiety and hurt. Next, you should think about what problems this person has in his or her life. Would a telephone call or visit from you give him an opportunity to talk about his problems?

Enrich Your Life and Ease Your Stress

Make a point of thinking about other people whenever your find yourself caught in a downward spiral of negative thinking. Over time, this method of training your thoughts to focus on others will result in a richer and less stressful life. At the very least, it will offer a distraction from your troubles until time can help resolve them.

You may even find solace in the company of the family and friends that will recognize your kindness and thoughtfulness on their behalves. When you reach out to others, they reach out to you, offering you the comfort that will help you through your difficult times.